1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a building system. Particularly, the present invention relates to a building system with individual building components connected together.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The art of constructing buildings or enclosures to protect people and things from the weather has been done throughout the ages. Building systems and methods have been devised to accomplish the assembly of buildings in a more orderly and predetermined fashion using a variety of building materials.
The most commonly used method in both residential and commercial wall construction is known as stick-built construction. Stick-built construction is relatively slow, requiring numerous types of materials and steps to complete the assembly process. It is relatively low technology and typically does not require special or large equipment for installation. A typical wall system in a commercial assembly requires at least four and as many as seven trades. Stick-built construction is seldom successful in achieving high-performance structures as the high number of parts, steps, and trades generally leads to problems with air barrier and insulation performance. Further, stick-built construction is never reusable.
Another method used is known as prefabricated and/or panelized construction. In this method, some of the construction steps of the stick-built method are performed in a factory and then the components are shipped to the site in the form of larger, pre-assembled units. Prefabricated and/or panelized construction is typically more expensive than stick-built construction and requires heavy equipment and specialized trades for installation. Panelized construction is seldom used successfully to achieve high-performance structures due to the difficulty in achieving high-performance gasketing or sealing systems as well as the difficulty in achieving good building envelope continuity at transitions between these systems and other portions of the construction such as the roof, the foundation, the window and door systems, etc. Prefabricated and/or panelized construction is rarely reusable.
Yet another method used is known as modular block construction. Modular block construction uses smaller prefabricated modular units that incorporate a variety of interlocking modular shapes and sizes. Modular block systems on the market are typically systems where the blocks are forms for casting poured-in-place concrete. These systems require heavy equipment and specialized trades to install them. Others are not insulated or require finishes to be added and are not weather tight. None of these “block” systems are complete wall system assemblies. Most of these block systems are not reusable at all or, at least, not in their original form. Examples of some of these block systems are disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,279 (1988, Isshiki) discloses an assembly block formed from a poly-olefin foam. The block has a body that has a pair of opposite surfaces of which one is provided with a plurality of regularly spaced apart holes, while the other surface is provided with a plurality of regularly spaced apart projections of which each can be fitted into one of the holes of another block. At least one bore extends through the body between the opposite surfaces for receiving a reinforcing bar. The blocks are lightweight and used for assembling a piece of furniture or a part of a building such as a table, stool, gate, or arch.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,640 (1997, Bourgeois et al.) discloses stackable and connectable foam building blocks. The building blocks include pairs of parallel side walls and multiple transverse members extending between the side walls at regular intervals. Each end wall has a U-shaped cutout section at its top to allow concrete flow between cavities of adjacent blocks and for supporting rebars. The upper edge of the end wall defining the lower part of the U-shaped section gradually increases from the outer surface to the inner surface of the end wall to form a downward and inward sloping surface for the lower part of the U-shaped section. Each transverse member includes a pair of structures substantially identical to the end walls. The two structures are positioned back-to-back, such that each cutout surface slopes inward and downward from the middle of the transverse member towards the adjacent cavity and a ridge is formed where the two sloping surfaces meet. The inner surfaces of the side walls, transverse members and end walls defining the cavities have a substantially vertical upper portion, and inward and downward sloping intermediate portion and outward and downward sloping bottom portion. The inner surfaces of the side walls are curved where the side walls meet the transverse members and the end walls, giving the cavities a generally octagonal shape. Stacking members on the upper and lower edges of the side walls, and connectors on outer surfaces of end walls connect blocks in horizontal rows.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,035 (2000, Roberts) discloses a reinforced foam block wall. The foam wall assembly includes vertical passageways that guide wall support elements. The wall assembly has a lower end and an upper support element that are affixed to the wall support elements. The foam wall has inner and outer thermal barriers that thermally isolate the wall support elements.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,102 (1999, Ozawa) discloses a cellular resin block and structural unit for an exterior structure using such block. The cellular block is integrally molded from suitable foamable resin and includes vertical grooves at the transversely opposite extremities, a vertical bar passage at the transversely middle and mortar wells extending on the upper end of the block. Brick is adhesively laid on the surface of the block using elastic mortar to form a structural unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,557,316 (2003, Van Der Heijden) discloses a building system having a plurality of building elements and connecting mechanisms where each of the building elements has an upper and a lower surface which are substantially parallel to each other and at least one opening extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, and each building element is adapted for alignment with respect to an opening in another building element. Each connecting mechanism is dimensioned to fit within and extend through an opening in a building element and interconnect a plurality of building elements and deformation members. Deformation members are positioned between a lower surface of a building element and a connecting mechanism of another building element, and deformable by a predetermined force to induce a stress in the connecting mechanism of a building element such that it is pressed with a second predetermined force to another building element.
Each of the disclosed prior art devices has one or more of the following shortcomings on the way to creating a complete, sustainable building envelope. These include, but are not limited to, a lack of gasketing between the blocks, a lack of a water shedding profile, a lack of a stand-alone integral structure, no integral raceways, no integral fastening system, and most are not reusable at all or, at least, not in their original form.
Therefore, what is needed is a reusable structural block that easily forms a complete building enclosure and can be used in place of stick-built construction. What is further needed is a reusable modular block wall system that includes an integral fastening system. What is also needed is a reusable modular block system that is lightweight, easy to handle and assemble with a minimal number of tools and specialized training.